Basic Details
Word: Bolted
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Past tense of bolt: locked with a metal bar; ran away suddenly; or ate food very quickly.
Synonyms: fled, dashed, locked, gobbled
Antonyms: unfastened
How to Spell Bolted
Syllables: bolt - ed
Tricky part: Bolt ends in two consonants, so the t is never doubled before ed. The o says its own name, but there is no u.
Watch out for: boltted, boulted, bollted
Memory tip: Bolt is one short block: b-o-l-t. Lock it with ed and add nothing else.
Idioms and Phrases
- shut the stable door after the horse has bolted: to try to stop a problem after the damage is already done. Example: "Installing the alarm after the robbery was like shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted."
Usage Examples
Example 1: Mum bolted the front door before we went to sleep.
Example 2: The cat bolted under the bed when the thunder started.
Example 3: He bolted down his breakfast and ran for the school bus.
Fun Fact
A bolt was first a short, heavy arrow fired from a crossbow. The idea of shooting off fast gave us bolt meaning to run away suddenly.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the word closest in meaning to bolted as used in the sentence:
The frightened horse bolted when the firecrackers went off near the field.
a) fled
b) neighed
c) halted
d) stumbled
Show answer
a) fled. A horse that bolts runs off in fear, so fled is the match.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
Before leaving for the wedding, Grandfather boltted every window and asked the neighbours to keep an eye on the house.
a) wedding
b) window
c) boltted
d) neighbours
Show answer
c) boltted. Bolt already ends in two consonants, l and t, so nothing is doubled before ed.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the word in the sentence and choose it:
He dtobel his lunch and rushed back to the cricket nets.
a) blotted
b) belted
c) bolted
d) bottled
Show answer
c) bolted. Bottled and blotted need two t's and belted has no o; six letters with one t make bolted.
Spell-o-Spell
Read the four words. Choose the meaning of the only correctly spelt word:
1. scuried 2. bolted 3. stumbeled 4. galoped
a) tripped and nearly fell
b) moved quickly with short steps
c) ran away suddenly
d) ran fast like a horse
Show answer
c) ran away suddenly. Scurried has a double r, stumbled has no e before l, and galloped has a double l.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. If a boy bolted his food, he ____.
a) shared it slowly
b) cooked it himself
c) threw it away
d) ate it very fast
Show answer
d) ate it very fast
2. Which object would you use to bolt a door?
a) a light bulb
b) a paintbrush
c) a doormat
d) a metal bar that slides
Show answer
d) a metal bar that slides
